From Monday 20th January the UK debt charity, StepChange, has been running their first ever Debt Awareness Week.

Below we have copied the first of their two advice articles written by the in-house team of money management experts at StepChange MoneyAware. The second article will follow later today.

Step 1: Face the problem

From experience they know that a large proportion of people wait a year or more to get debt help. If you’re reading up about ‘how to get out of debt’ you’ve taken the first step in getting your finances back on track.

The golden nugget of advice is this: free, impartial debt help is the answer. Extending your overdraft, taking out a payday loan or extending your credit card limit isn’t. If you’re in debt applying for extra credit of any kind won’t help.

Step 2: Draw up a budget

A personal budget is important because you can only ever be made to pay back an unsecured debt (such as a credit card) at a rate you can afford. You should be paying them off with your ‘disposable income’.

This is the money you have left once you’ve paid priorities like rent, mortgage, household bills, food and living costs. Seeing how much money you have spare after accounting for these things is important.

It’s human nature to put off things you don’t want to do. You might have a stack of unopened reminder letters, or you might have moved address and not informed your creditors.

Don’t beat yourself up about it; it’s in the past. But knowing now how much you owe now is crucial in sorting out the problem.

Looking at your credit file is the clearest way to take stock of your debts. Noddle offers access to your credit file free of charge. It will show who you owe money to, your balances and if you have any county court judgments (CCJs). Noddle is free but they’ll probably show you adverts for credit cards – it could go without saying, but ignore them!

Sometimes the credit search can’t locate you. If this is the case don’t panic, but instead, follow our next step.

Step 4: Speak to your creditors

It can be nerve-wracking to contact a company you owe money to, but remember:

Credit companies are businesses not Gods

People who work in their collection departments are simply doing their job

You shouldn’t be forced to pay more than you can afford towards a debt

Armed with those three pieces of information you can contact the creditors with more confidence. Inform them that you know you owe them money and that you’ve fallen into arrears, but you’re taking steps to rectify it.

Ask them if they can temporarily freeze any interest or charges while you seek advice. Then move onto step 5!

Step 5: Get a debt solution

So you want to get out of debt. You’ve drawn up a list of your outgoings. You’re armed with who you owe money to and how much. Now it’s about seeing which debt solution is right for you.

A free debt management plan (DMP) is one way of repaying your debts; an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) or bankruptcy are others. The best way to ensure you get what’s right for you is to get impartial advice from a debt charity.

Or if you’d prefer you can contact StepChange to chat to an advisor over the phone, have an online chat or request a call back.

The key points to remember:

No debt problem is impossible – facing it can often be the biggest hurdle

If you’re struggling, don’t apply for more credit – it won’t help

Creditors cannot force you pay more than you can afford – you just need to work out how much that is

Don’t be tempted to pay for debt help – free, impartial advice is always best

You’re not alone – debt charities are here to support you!

Learn more

Throughout Debt Awareness Week StepChange Debt Charity will be talking about the danger signs of debt and how to deal with them. Use their tool to find out the StepChange Debt Danger Signs test to see if you need debt advice.

We are delighted to announce an offer for those individuals and companies who are connected with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ & Twitter.

Vist us on one of our social media profiles to find out the code to use when placing a debt with us. If you place a debt before the end of January 2014, you will receive 10% off our standard commission rates. This applies for instructions in the UK, Europe & Worldwide.

Disclaimer – This offer is not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount provided by CBC International. For more information, please contact us on 0151 515 3014 , email us or contact us online.

Our office will be closed from 1.00pm on Tuesday 24th December 2013 to 9.00am on Thursday 2nd January 2014.

Q – I would like to pay my account, what should I do as your office is closed?

If you wish to make payment on your overdue account over the festive period, we will be unable to process any card transactions over the telephone however you can make a payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on our online payment system by visiting www.cbc-international.co.uk/pay.

Payments can still be made into our bank account (BACS) using the details provided on the letter you will have received. Cheques can also be sent to our postal address – CBC International, 5th Floor, The Corn Exchange, Fenwick Street, Liverpool, L2 7QL

Everyone at CBC International would like to take a moment to extend their Season’s Greeting and we wish everyone a prosperous New Year.

Probably the hardest decision when it comes to moving abroad is where to move to. There is a whole world out there that can offer a new life, a different culture and the chance for a secure and happy future. So how do you choose?

Most people that move abroad choose to take up residence in a country they have long been enamoured with. A place where they have holidayed regularly within a region that appeals to them and their desire to move abroad. If you are uncertain about where to move to, you could always consider a country with which you have some affiliation or even just a general interest. Make sure that you visit the country at least once before you make a final decision.

There are a number of things you need to look at to make sure the country is the right place for you and your family. Employment, education, property and financial responsibilities are important factors in the decision making process. You need to ensure you take up residency in a country that meets all your needs and can provide you with the lifestyle you long for. You also need to look at health care, religion, culture and local laws and legislations. Countries will differ greatly from the UK and moving abroad is not simply a case of basking in the sunshine every day. It is about a adopting a new way of life and fitting in with the locals.

Conduct thorough research into absolutely everything about the country and the way you will live within it before making the decision and finally the move. Make sure each family member is in agreement on the country and that they can have a good quality of life and a secure future there.

For more information on moving abroad, worldfirst.com have created an EBook containing all the considerations you need to know to help you select just the right country to start a new life in.

Debbie Fletcher is an enthusiastic, experienced writer who has written for a range of difference magazines and news publications. Follow her here: @Debbie_Fletch18

“We decided to give CBC International a try, after a recommendation from RMI. We gave them our worst nightmare debtors, that we were ready to write off. CBC managed to recover quite a considerable amount of monies, including chasing serial debtors to full payment and recovery of all costs. Worth a try as every penny recovered is a victory against bad payers.”

“I found CBC to be very efficient at the recovery of our debts. Quite a large amount of money was involved and thanks to CBC, we were able to recover our outstanding debts which made a big difference to our business.

December taking set to break through £10bn for first time as internet shopping accounts for largest ever share of all sales.

UK retailers are looking forward to a jump in online shopping this Christmas as they battle for the custom of hard-pressed shoppers with deals and express delivery offers.

Online retail revenues will be up sharply on last Christmas and December takings will break though the £10bn barrier for the first time, according to industry group IMRG and consultants Capgemini.

A separate report from the British Retail Consortium suggests online trade rose to a record portion of all sales last month. The BRC’s monthly sales monitor with consultants KPMG said volumes were up 0.8% on a like-for-like basis from October 2012 as unseasonably warm weather saw clothing sales fall but gadgets, games and home accessories all enjoyed growth. That compared with an annual fall of 0.1% in October 2012.

Of last month’s sales, 18.3% were online, the highest proportion since the BRC’s records on internet shopping volumes began two years ago.

The BRC’s director general, Helen Dickinson, said: “It’s expected that many of us will ‘click into Christmas’ more than ever before this year, and retailers have invested significantly in user-friendly websites, fast deliveries and convenient ways of buying in-store, at home or on the move.”

The report from IMRG and Capgemini pointed to conversion rates – those people who buy online after browsing – reaching a five-year high of 5% in the run-up to this Christmas.

It forecast consumer spending with online retailers will reach £10.8bn in December.

The busiest day overall in terms of sales volume will be Monday 2 December although the peak day does vary by retailer, the report added. Department store chain John Lewis predicts the busiest day in the run-up to Christmas will be ‘Cyber Sunday’, 1 December, when shoppers, armed with one of the final pay packets of the year, will buy most of their presents.

Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG, said the latest signals on the rising conversion rate were promising for the industry.

“For the first time in three years we expect annual e-retail growth to exceed the level recorded in the previous year, with 2013 sales on target to achieve 15% growth on last year,” she said.

“Already we are seeing a number of retailers ramping up their online offering in the run-up to Christmas. Click and collect, next-day delivery and even one-hour delivery slots are just a few of the options on offer to attract the lucrative festive shopper at this highly competitive time of year.”

Please note: Information in this blog post is content property of The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com) and the full original article can be found by clicking here.

Over the last two years we have been actively trying to improve our Social Media presence across a number of different platforms. To date, we have over 2000 likes, follows & connections, some of which we’re now delighted to be able to call clients.

Social Media is a powerful tool for an SME like ourselves and we encourage you all to connect with each other and promote your businesses throughout the UK & across the World.

If you would like to connect with us, please use the following links below. We look forward to speaking with you online!